Minnesota Department of Health investigates norovirus outbreak at Schulze Lake Beach
EAGAN, MINNESOTA - The Minnesota Department of Health released an update on Monday, stating that more than 60 people have reported having fallen ill after swimming at Schulze Lake at Lebanon Hills Regional Park. The reports coming over the last three days. The Minnesota Department of Health is asking people if they are feeling ill, and their symptoms included vomiting and diarrhea, to please stay home and not visit your local beach or pool.
According to Trisha Robinson, who is a waterborne disease supervisor, the Health officials with the Minnesota Department of Health are still trying to determine which pathogen is the cause of the illnesses, but they report that based on the symptoms and incubation period this is likely tied to norovirus infection. If you are or have been sick, Robinson states "It's critical that people stay out of the water until at least 72 hours after symptoms go away so we can stop the spread of the virus." She goes on to say that the spread of this virus is from "fecal-oral spread" and can be spread when "a very small amount of the virus is left on a person's bottom, who then go into the water, and people nearby ingest a small amount of the virus that was in the water."
They report that the symptoms of this norovirus are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach cramps that begin around 12 to 48 hours after someone ingests the virus. The Minnesota Department of Health says if you are ill or are concerned about your health you should consult your health care provider. They also ask if you became sick after swimming at Schulze Lake, to please contact the Foodborne and Waterborne Illness Hotline at 651-201-5655 or by email at health.foodill@state.mn.us.
For more information on how to prevent yourself from getting sick from waterborne illness, you can go to their Waterbourne Illness prevention page, which you can find linked here.
Schulze Lake Beach remains temporarily closed as of June 6, 2023.
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